Dancing with the Stars 21
The twenty-first season of Dancing with the Stars is premiered on September 14, 2015. Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will return as hosts, while judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli are all set to return. After 20 seasons as a judge, Len Goodman will not be returning this season. On November 24, 2015, Bindi Irwin and her partner Derek Hough were crowned as the winners of season 21. Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess finished second, while Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold came in third place. This season set records for the total number of perfect scores awarded (23) and the number of stars to receive at least one perfect score (7). Irwin also set a record with 8 perfect scores and joins Shawn Johnson (who was also 17 at the time of her win) as the youngest winner of the show. This also marked Hough's sixth competitive win, extending his own record for the most win for a professional dancer on the show. Development On August 19, 2015, nine professional dancers were revealed during Good Morning America. Karina Smirnoff, who did not appear last season, will be returning for this season. Anna Trebunskaya and Louis Van Amstel will be returning after a 5 season hiatus. Peta Murgatroyd (who was to be paired with Andy Grammer) was originally announced as a professional; however, she will be sidelined for the season due to an injury. Also not returning are Artem Chigvintsev and Kym Johnson. Bindi Irwin was the first celebrity revealed on August 24, with other celebrities being revealed at different dates through different media. The full cast of celebrities and professional dancers was revealed on September 2, 2015 on Good Morning America. Couples Scoring chart Average score chart *This table only counts dances scored on a 30-point scale; scores by guest judges are excluded. Extra points from the dance-offs are not included. Highest and lowest scoring performances *The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale (scores by guest judges are excluded). Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances *Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum (scores by guest judges are excluded). Weekly Scores Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli. Week 1 *The couples performed Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, Salsa, Quickstep or Jive. Week 2: Hometown Glory Week *Couples had to prepare two new dances to be performed on two consecutive nights. On Monday, the couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the celebrities, with one couple being eliminated at the end of the show. On Tuesday, the remaining couples performed routines that celebrated the hometowns of the pro partners, with another couple being eliminated. Charleston, Contemporary, Jazz, Rumba, Tango and Waltz are introduced. Night 1 Night 2 Week 3: TV Week Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Alfonso Ribeiro, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli. *Couples performed one unlearned dance to famous TV theme songs; Samba and Viennese Waltz are introduced. *As a result of a mini-stroke, Kim Zolciak-Biermann was unable to attend the live show and Tony performed their Samba with Jenna Johnson. It was later announced that Kim would have to withdraw from the competition, as stated by the rules of the show. In light of the situation, no couple was eliminated. Week 4: Most Memorable Year *Couples performed one unlearned dance to celebrate the most memorable year of their lives. *Season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro will host in place of Tom Bergeron, who is taking time of to be with his ailing father. This marks Bergeron's first absence in the history of the show. *Allison Holker announced her pregnancy. She will continue to dance with Andy Grammer. Week 5: The Switch-Up Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli. *Former pro and season 18 champion Maksim Chmerkovskiy will serve as guest judge this week. *This week the celebrities will dance with another pro than usual. *Due to the nature of this week, no couple was eliminated. Week 6: Famous Dances Night Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Olivia Newton-John, Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli. *4 time Grammy award winner Olivia Newton-John will serve as guest judge this week. *Former contestant Leah Remini will host in place of Erin Andrews due to Andrews' commitment with Fox to cover the 2015 World Series. *The couples will perform dances inspired by iconic dances from movies and music videos. Week 7: Halloween Night *The couples will perform one unlearned dance and team dances to Halloween themes and songs *Leah Remini once again filled in for Erin Andrews Week 8: Icons Night *Couples performed one unlearned dance that paid tribute to a personal icon of the celebrity's; the couple with the highest score earned an immunity from elimination, while the rest of the couples participated in dance-offs for extra points. Dance offs *For each dance-off, the couple with the highest remaining score picked the opponent against whom they wanted to dance; the chosen opponent was allowed to pick the dance style. The winner of each dance-off earned two points. The couple who won immunity received a three-point bonus. For the first time, the general public helped to determine the winner of each dance-off using Twitter. Week 9: Showstoppers Night *Couples performed one unlearned dance and a musical theater-inspired team-up dance with another couple, which involved the celebrities dancing side-by-side to the same song and receiving the same set of scores from the judges for the routine. *During dress rehearsals, Tamar Braxton fell ill and was taken to the emergency room. She was unable to return for her contemporary dance; the judges' scores were based on their dress rehearsal footage. Braxton did return for her team-up dance with Nick & Sharna. However, the next day she withdrew from the competition after discovering pulmonary embolisms in her lungs. Week 10: Semifinals *Couples performed one unlearned dance and a trio dance involving an eliminated pro or a pro from past seasons of the show *Midway through the show, the four couples participated in dance-offs, with the winners receiving three points to be added to their total scores. *Due to the unexpected withdrawal of Tamar Braxton the previous week, all four couples advanced directly to the finals. Dance-offs Week 11: Finals Night 1 *Judges' choice & freestyles Night 2 *Repeat dance & 24-Hour Fusion Challenge *Had they made it to night 2, Carlos and Witney would have danced a Salsa and a Quickstep/Jive fusion. *On night 2, Nick and Sharna will dance a Cha-Cha-Cha and a Quickstep/Samba fusion. *On night 2, Bindi and Derek will dance a Jive and a Argentine Tango/Cha-Cha-Cha fusion. *On night 2, Alek and Lindsay will dance a Foxtrot and a Waltz/Tango fusion. Trivia *Karina Smirnoff returns after being absent last season. *Andy Grammer was originally supposed to dance with Peta Murgatroyd, but she had to withdraw, prior to the competition, due to a foot injury that needed surgery. Instead, he was partnered with Allison Holker. *Kim Zolciak-Biermann was forced to withdraw from the competition in Week 3, due to a mini-stroke. *This season featured, for the first time ever, a week without Tom Bergeron as a host. He went to be with his father who was very ill. Raymond Bergeron, subsequently died on October 12, 2015. *During the live show in Week 4, pro dancer Allison Holker announced that she is expecting her second child. *This marks the first time that Derek Hough has ever been on the losing team in a team dance. *On November 2, 2015, Nick Carter confirmed that he and his wife are expecting their first child, after trying to get pregnant for over a year. They found out on the live show, that they are expecting a baby boy. *Tamar Braxton withdrew from the competition after discovering pulmonary embolisms in her lungs, making this the first season in the show's history to feature more than one celebrity withdrawal. *Bindi Irwin shares the title of youngest celebrity winner with Shawn Johnson, who was also 17 at the time of her win. *This marks the sixth win for Derek Hough, the most wins of any professional dancer. Gallery Bindi-Derek-Promo21.jpg|Winner: Bindi Irwin & Derek Hough Nick-Sharna-Promo21.jpg|2nd place: Nick Carter & Sharna Burgess Alek-Lindsay-Promo21.jpg|3rd place: Alek Skarlatos & Lindsay Arnold Carlos-Witney-Promo21.jpg|4th place: Carlos PenaVega & Witney Carson Tamar-Val-Promo21.jpg|5th place: Tamar Braxton & Val Chmerkovskiy Alexa-Mark-Promo21.jpg|6th place: Alexa PenaVega & Mark Ballas Andy-Allison-Promo21.jpg|7th place: Andy Grammer & Allison Holker Hayes-Emma-Promo21.jpg|8th place: Hayes Grier & Emma Slater Paula-Louis-Promo21.jpg|9th place: Paula Deen & Louis Van Amstel Gary-Anna-Promo21.jpg|10th place: Gary Busey & Anna Trebunskaya Kim-Tony-Promo21.jpg|11th place: Kim Zolciak-Biermann & Tony Dovolani Victor-Karina-Promo21.jpg|12th place: Victor Espinoza & Karina Smirnoff Chaka-Keo-Promo21.jpg|13th place: Chaka Khan & Keo Motsepe Category:Seasons